Paying Out of Appreciation or Obligation! Copyright 2004
Author: Charlene Rashkow

The attitude one has when paying for services rendered is a subject that few people acknowledge or even consider, yet the impact on the recipient goes far beyond simply writing a check or depositing money into someone's account.

I recently had the good fortune of working with a client who demonstrated the most impressive attitude and professionalism in regard to payment. I was so struck by his approach and attitude that I was compelled to write about it. And although it may seem like a very small thing in comparison to other business experiences, it actually affected my own attitude about money so strongly, that it has altered the way I give and receive permanently.

The events unfolded when the potential client read an article written by me in a popular international publication on the web. He liked what I had to say, checked out my web site and testimonials and then wrote requesting help with a bio for his web site.

As always, I responded promptly, providing the details of the writing procedure along with what I would need and what it would cost. What happened next surprised me. I no sooner sent him my quote for the initial project, (the e-mail was barely out of my send box), when only a few seconds later, payment was already submitted to my paypal account.

Thinking that he was just eager to get things started, I began the process of writing for him and had the first project ready within two days. He was very pleased with the end result and requested my expertise on another project. I again sent him my quote and told him I would begin that afternoon. Once more, as soon as I sent him my quote, and I mean within seconds of my submitting it, he sent payment.

This time I had to comment, so I wrote him to thank him kindly for his quick response in regard to his compensation turnaround. I told him that I really appreciated his attitude about payment and was quite impressed and surprised at how quickly he responded. What he wrote back will stay with me forever.

He wrote to say and I quote: "It is my philosophy not to put anyone under any undo stress about money so that their attention will be only on the project at hand." He further stated, "I want you to be free to express your creativity and not have to worry about when you would be receiving payment."

I was speechless. As a writer for more than 15 years, I had never heard anyone put it so eloquently nor had anyone ever paid so eagerly. I was truly impressed. His attitude definitely reflected on the quality of my work as I felt the best of myself come pouring out. More than likely he himself has had many experiences where people paid out of obligation and not out of appreciation, which taught him an important lesson.

I want to emphasize that I love what I do with all my heart and soul. Granted I love earning a living and enjoy seeing the dollars appear in my bank account, but I work as much for the joy of helping my clients achieve success as I do for the money received. I believe in always giving the best of myself whether it's a simple note or a huge writing project, but when someone pays from an attitude of appreciation and not from obligation, the desire and willingness to give more than one's best triples. I would have bent over backwards to support this client's efforts as I so appreciated his gratitude and attitude.

I firmly believe that if more people paid out of appreciation and less out of obligation for services rendered, we'd have more happy people in the world and a great many more people eager to please. That client taught me an important lesson, that I will never forget. We can get so much from each other so easily, if we just showed a bit more appreciation. As a result, he has forever made me aware of the impact of paying out of appreciation and not out of obligation and the affect it has on any business relationship.







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Charlene Rashkow brings 15 years of experience as a Writing Stylist/Author to her creative efforts as a freelance business writer/consultant. She has successfully helped companies and individuals reach their objectives by writing outstanding web site content, press releases, bios, articles of interest, business plans, resumes, and all other forms of written material. You may contact Charlene at www.allyourwritingneeds.com or write her at charlene@allyourwritingneeds.com. You can also call her directly at (310) 514-4844

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